Super Eagles: Great outing, high expectations

President Bola Tinubu (M); Vice President Kashim Shettima (2ND R); Super Eagle Coach, Jose Peseiro (3RD L) and Super Eagles Players during a Presidential Reception for the Eagles their impressive performance at the just concluded African Cup of Nations (AFCON) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday (13/2/2024)0150/FEB/11/2/2024/Callistus Ewelike/NAN

The last few days have been quite exciting for members of the Super Eagles. The team, which was not reckoned with by many pundits before the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire, returned to heroes’ welcome after beating all odds to finish as the second best team at the championship.

Although the manner of their defeat in the final game of the competition by hosts, Cote d’Ivoire, did not amuse many of their admirers, the Super Eagles succeeded with just seven games to win back the trust of their compatriots, who were still smarting from the disappointment of their darling team failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In the last two years, the Super Eagles have had a no love lost relationship with Nigerian football fans, who saw the current crop of players as a bad advertisement for the country’s game, which at some point was rated as the fifth best in the world. And so, Cote d’Ivoire 2023 was a welcome development, which many now hope would be sustained by those in charge of the team.

Among the optimists, who see a bright future for the game, is no less a personality than the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) President, Ibrahim Gusau, who told The Guardian in Abidjan in the wake of the Africa Cup of Nations final that one of the gains from the country’s participation in the championship is fans’ renewed love for the Super Eagles.

Gusau said that